You’re a start-up SME, you’ve got a thousand things to think about, your time and budget are stretched, you’re living in the moment, at this early stage it’s all about survival!
Creating a brand identity might be the last thing on your mind right now, perhaps you haven`t even thought about it!
Stop for a second, breath, and listen, because there’s something you need to know before you go any further:
Right now, you have a golden opportunity to help your new business succeed. One that can capture the public’s attention, creating trust and loyalty, adding purpose and direction to your business, motivate your employees, and attracts new customers like bees to a honey pot.
Successful companies know about and maximize their brand identity; they use it to add magic to their business and succeed where others fail.
And if you want to give yourself every chance of succeeding you must do it too!
So, let’s discover why creating a brand identity from the start is essential to your SME and give yourself the best chance of success.
The Purpose Behind Your Branding Strategy
The goal of your Brand Marketing Strategy is to show the world who you are and what you represent.
It promotes your products or services in a way that links them to your identity, portraying your brand’s personality and core values. It resonates with the public while creating a feeling of familiarity and trust.
Your brand creates the perception your customers will have of your business. It’s the human element behind the company. It’s your opportunity to show them that you’re dependable, and the company they want and need!
However, first, you have to be recognized; let’s find out how you do that.
Why Your Brand Identity Improves Customer Recognition And Sales
Humans are wary of the unknown, and consumers like to use brands they already know, this is why it can be difficult for start-ups to gain traction in their market place.
To change your future customer’s pre-programmed buying habits and convert their loyalty to your business, you have to ensure they see your brand where ever they look within your niche. This creates brand identity, meaning the more they see it, the more they recognize it, thus creating familiarity and increasing the chances that they will shop with you.
Customer recognition takes time to establish, but here are some of the rewards you will reap:
- Return customers
- Reduced customer acquisition costs
- Customer loyalty
- Increased pricing power
- Increased cross and up-sell opportunities
But how do you convince customers to use your business now they’ve seen it?
By making them trust you, and again, this is where having a brand identity is essential.
Branding Creates Trust When People Have Doubt
Convincing customers to trust your company is a vital element if your business is going to succeed.
But customers today have more reasons than ever before to be skeptical of businesses, new and old. Large corporations, social media platforms, banks, and (personal information leaking like a broken tap) have betrayed their trust.
Fortunately, there are ways of gaining your customer’s trust, and branding is the first step.
You see, people love to love brands that are transparent about what they do and how they do it. You can achieve this by having and using a brand identity throughout your marketing campaigns.
By professionally presenting yourself and having consistent branding on your logo, website, advertising campaigns, social media platforms (where customers can see your ratings and reviews), people will have faith in you. And in turn, they will be more willing to give you their credit card details.
How Branding Can Support Your Advertising
I’m sure you already understand the importance of marketing and why your company needs it, but do you know how your brand identity can help you succeed?
You see, your branding style is generally decided upon by several factors, one being your target audience’s demographics and the channels they choose to both socialize and shop on. The information you gather while creating your brand can tell you all you need to know as to where your customers are and when they are shopping.
Here are some online examples:
- GOOGLE: If you have a website, Google Analytics provides you with traffic information, tells you which content on your site is working, keyword relevance, and on which pages people bounce.
- FACEBOOK: You can target your marketing campaigns based on your audience’s demographic and specific interests, likes, and dislikes.
- INSTAGRAM: Their analytics will tell you everything you need to run a successful advertising campaign. What customers currently like and share, which influencers suit your niche, what images and videos are working, when your audience is online, and much more!
Of course, if you’re a brick and motor store, you can use your branding throughout your printed marketing campaigns. Your shop front, company vehicles, on reusable shopping bags, flyers, newsprint advertisements, local business listings, and remember, local branding is an excellent way of getting word-of-mouth and referral business.
Why Branding Is Important For Motivating Your Employees
A company is only as successful as its brand, and its brand is dependent upon its employees.
The truth is that people need a reason to give their full commitment and effort when working for someone else. When a business has a mission behind its branding, it creates pride within the workforce, motivating them to work as a collective unit and providing the direction and reason needed for achieving the company’s goals.
Your company’s brand, especially your logo, should act like a country’s flag, instill pride in everyone that works for it, and a belief that they can depend upon it when needed.
CONCLUSION:
Take some time out when setting up your SME to seriously consider and implement your brand identity because you only start your business once (hopefully)!
It’s your opportunity to create the look you want and the perception customers will have of your business. How the world will receive it, and its success depends mainly upon the decisions you make right now.
So, give yourself the best shot at success and create a brand identity from the very start.
